CSA Week #4

Why we do this together…

Our amazing garden saavy friend Jen Devine is visiting us an working hard!

In the not-so-distant past, almost everyone was connected to a diverse, family-based farm. The small-scale, diversified farm hosting scores of veggies, animals and staple crops like beans, grains and corn. People had a deeper connection to their food because almost everyone had helped out on a farm, or visited one on summer vacation.

Farming never should have gone the way it did in the last 50 years. Growing food doesn’t work well in an industrial, global economy – it’s too costly for the people involved and for the earth. A single farmer out on the tractor not only isolates that family from the community that is so crucial to farm survival, but also isolates the general public from the activities that keep a farm going.

These days, family farms are rare, but growing in number. Young folks across the world are picking up their digging forks, shovels and hoes and finding land to farm. (If you are excited about young farmers, you’ve gotta check out the Young Agrarians) Arzeena’s family and my crew choose to work together in the spirit of furthering this movement of younger people taking control of the food system.

Pea ‘staches!

Farming together is more fun. It gets us out of bed in the morning knowing we will see friendly faces and helping hands. It gives meaning to our lives, as we build relationships around bundling beets and bagging salad. We laugh together, we share in the hard work, and there is always someone to turn to for ideas or help when it’s needed.

This is also why we chose the CSA model, because it is important to us to know which refrigerators and which bellies our food will end up in. We look forward to seeing your faces every week (or picturing your faces for those of you who are in Tahsis and at Creekside!) and knowing that we have a direct relationship to you, and you have a direct relationship to our beloved farms.

So thanks for sticking with us through the damp, green and slightly little lean month of June. We are watching the squash and potatoes flower, the beans grow taller, and the roots size up with as much anticipation as you must all be feeling for the main summer season… bring it on!

Are you going away this summer?

You can give your box to a neighbour or friend and ask them to pick it up for you. OR, you can let us know you’ll be away and we can donate your share for that week to the Immigrant Welcome Centre or LUSH Valley Food Security Hub.

What’s in the box?

Half Shares

Bok choi bundle

Beet bundle

Salad mix is back!

Turnips

Dill

Full Shares Add:

Broad beans

Braising mix

Beet thinnings

When you have beets, make borscht!

Because my Mom was always an avid Canadian Living reader, I was introduced to reading recipes in my mid-teens. Thus, I will refer you to the Canadian Living Borscht recipe. I find their recipes are reliably good. Don’t be afraid to omit the beef if you want! Maybe throw in a bit of extra seasoning like celery, onions and salt.

I am also going to try this Beet Soup recipe from Deborah Madison’s website. I really like her recipes. They’re a bit complex, but definitely gourmet!

What to do with broad beans:

Suggestions from the farm crew:

Inara says: put them in miso soup!

Amina says: put them in stir fry

Arzeena likes to add them to hummous

Moss likes to sautee them in butter and garlic (that’s how Moss likes to eat most vegetables!)